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Sex Without Pain: A Self-Treatment Guide To The Sex Life You Deserve was written by Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, a physical therapist with countless successes in treating pain of this type. Women with vaginismus, overactive pelvic floor, painful intercourse, vulvodynia, vulvar vestibulitis, vestibulodynia, dyspareunia, interstitial cystitis have all benefited from her unique program. Heather uses her orthopaedic background to approach treatment of these muscles like they are....muscles! She utilizes a self-treatment tool called a dilator to provide massage and other muscle relaxation and stretching techniques in a gentle fashion to return a women's muscles back to a resting, rather than guarded, state.

Sex Without Pain: A Self-Treatment Guide To The Sex Life You Deserve

What Others are Saying About "Sex Without Pain ":

I have seen Heather's treatment program work time and time again with my patients. Her unique approach to treating women with painful intercourse through a combination of hands on skills, patient education and the thorough home program outlined in this book has surpassed the results of her peers. Her techniques and expertise have been an invaluable resource to my practice."

- Kerri Parks, MD (Associate Professor Ob/Gyn USC Keck School of Medicine)


I will use it frequently for clients who cannot afford pelvic floor PT or for those who cannot find pelvic floor PT any where near them! I have so needed this resource. The clarity of each step and the drawings are so helpful - I don't know of any other resource that will be as effective for self-help."

- Joyce Penner, RN, MN (Sexual Therapist, Educator and Co-author of The Gift of Sex, Restoring the Pleasure and numerous other publications)


Sex Without Pain is an essential book for any woman suffering with pelvic or sexual pain. Heather's approach is simple and clear. She empowers the woman and her partner with the resources needed to lead a healthy and pain free sex life. A great read for patients and professionals alike."

- Jennifer Briggs, DPT (Women's Health Physical Therapist, Pennsylvania)


• To order "Sex Without Pain" in paperback from Amazon for $24.99, click here.

• To order an electronic read-only non-printable PDF copy of the book for instant download at $19.99, use the button below:

• To schedule an appointment at one of the Femina PT offices, click here.

• For a list of other trusted health care providers, click here.

Mary P. Shriver, CMT

Pre- and Post Surgical, Somatic Stress, Trauma and Massage Therapist

Mary P. Shriver (she/her/hers) is an integral part of the Fusion/Femina team. Her work as a Trauma-Informed, Somatic Stress Therapist (Shake Off Stress) is an invaluable part of the healing journey for many of our patients.

Besides being a Certified Massage Therapist, Mary is a The Resilience Toolkit Certification Trainer, Certified Provider of Tension/Trauma Release Exercises (TRE®), Certified Compassion Fatigue Educator, and holds a B.S. in Psychology from Denison University. She is also trained in the Trauma Resilience Model and Community Resilience Model through the Trauma Resource Institute, Motivational Interviewing for Behavior Change (MINT), Level 1 Resistance Flexibility with Bob Cooley, Pelvic Floor Piston Science from Julie Wiebe, and is a member of the International Pelvic Floor Society.

Mary is also trained in the SSP/Safe and Sound Protocol (acoustic ventral vagal tone stimulation) and Brainspotting.

A native New Yorker, Mary began her career in the public relations and marketing field. She worked in both the Las Vegas and Los Angeles markets, including a decade-long stint as a corporate spokesmodel for companies such as Black and Decker, LG and Oracle, before burnout helped her discover her calling as a healer.

Mary’s unique hybrid approach to healing blends massage with assorted tools from The Resilience Toolkit from Lumos Transforms, with emphasis on a lesser known modalities called therapeutic tremoring and myofascial unwinding. This combination of hands-on massage, advanced therapeutic tremor interventions, along with other evidence-based mindfulness and movement techniques helps build body-mind awareness and produces deep relaxation, reducing symptoms of chronic anxiety and pain.

Mary specializes in helping clients who struggle with chronic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, and musculoskeletal blocks. She offers new solutions to both men and women suffering from a multitude of “above and below the belt” health issues and emotional symptoms.

Mary’s spirit and personality reflect the deep connection and spark she feels towards her work. Her enthusiasm for the work can best be summed up in her own words:

This transformational work provides me with the purpose-filled life I’ve pined for since college. It’s the most important thing I’ve ever done, and is the last career I see myself having. This is it for me. I am finally home.”

Mary has worked with physicians, nurses, and mental health clinicians at hospitals and agencies across the LA area. As a clinical intern, Mary spent six months facilitating TRE® to people experiencing homelessness and addiction at Homeless Health Care Los Angeles. As a volunteer, Mary has worked with burn survivors through the Phoenix Society and served on an international humanitarian response team supporting Typhoon Yolanda survivors, first responders, and clinicians in the Philippines.

Mary is the Immediate Past Executive Director of the TRE® For All nonprofit, providing support to TRE® Providers and organizations in more than 35 countries internationally and serves as senior staff at Lumos Transforms.

Massage techniques avaialable:

  • MyoFascial Release (MFR)
  • Therapeutic Tremoring (TRE)
  • Myofascial Unwinding (MU)
  • Pre/Postnatal and Pregnancy
  • Soft Tissue Mobilization (STM) such as
    • Swedish
    • Deep Tissue
    • Sports
    • Skin Rolling
    • Lymphatic Drainage
    • Scraping
    • Currently training in Cranial-Sacral

Mary is also trained in the SSP/Safe and Sound Protocol (acoustic ventral vagal tone stimulation) Brainspotting, the Trauma Resilience Model and Community Resilience Model through the Trauma Resource Institute, Motivational Interviewing for Behavior Change (MINT), and Level 1 Resistance Flexibility with Bob Cooley.

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What Our Patients Have to Say

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Testimonial by Fritzette H.

I went to Heather after the birth of my third child. It was lucky, really, that I was referred to her, because my doctor had referred me to a surgeon for a possible hysterectomy or pelvic wall rebuild. Thankfully, I went to Heather before undergoing either surgery, she was able to fix the problem. She has studied extensively in women's health--even written a book about it--and was able to diagnose my problem, suggest a course of treatment (6 weeks), and then follow through with said treatment. By the end, as she said, I was as good as gold. Boy, was it worth it! Though uncomfortable to talk about, much less write about, it is worth getting the word out there. If you have painful intercourse, especially after birth or other trauma, the treatment may be as simple as Physical Therapy (with Heather, of course). I highly recommend her.

-- Fritzette H., 3/24/16 via Yelp!

Testimonial by A.B.

Before I was referred to Heather Jeffcoat I was living in a nightmare. I had been married to my husband for three years and I was suffering from Vaginismus. That all changed when I visited my OBGYN and she said she knew of someone with a great success rate. To be honest I was hesitant at first because my first doctor had already told me that all I needed to do was order dilators from the internet and I should overcome my problem. She was wrong because I had followed the book on how to use the dilators with absolutely no advancements in my condition. However, that all changed when I went in for my first visit and Heather took the time to explain my condition and how we were going to work together to overcome it.

I remember leaving her office with a glimmer of hope that I could live a normal life. As my sessions continued I began to see immediate results. With only four sessions and a strict dedication to my home programs I was cured of Vaginismus. In the beginning of this process I was made aware that my health insurance company might not cover the costs, which was disappointing but today I can say one hundred percent that it was the best money I ever spent. Now thanks to Heather I am finally enjoying my life to the fullest with my husband. Thank you Heather, I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate all that you have done for me. I will never forget it. Those who are suffering from these types of conditions don’t be afraid because she makes you feel so comfortable and the end result is worth it. Good luck to you all and I hope you experience the success I have.
-- A.B.

Testimonial by S.S., age 54

Heather is the best! I saw her today for terrible hip/groin pain. I was so impressed with the safety measures in place and felt completely safe . Thanks for the healing hands.

S.S., age 54

Testimonial by Y.L. (mom of 2)

After having my second baby via C-section I searched for months to try to find help for my lower back pain and separated abdominal muscles. I finally came across Heather Jeffcoat via a mommy blog. I reached out to her via email and set my first appointment. My first appointment went amazing … she listened to what my symptoms, check my separation and explained to me in detail what the next steps would be. Not only did my abdominal separation go from 3 to about 1 -1/2 but my back has pain has significantly reduced. I’m personally recommending all my mommy friends to Heather!

Y.L. (mom of 2)

Testimonial by S.P., Age 26

I would like to start off by thanking Heather Jeffcoat for educating me and curing me of Vaginismus. I had been married for almost three years before I was referred to Heather. I never knew about Vaginismus until almost three years into my marriage. I knew something was wrong when I went on my honeymoon and came back a Virgin. I had always imagined how magical my first night would be but boy was I wrong.

Read more: Testimonial by S.P., Age 26

Testimonial by Amanda W.

Heather's unique physical therapy program literally changed my life! After years of struggling with vaginismus, a condition that made it impossible for me to have intercourse and very difficult to use tampons without pain, a gynecologist referred me to Heather. I was nervous for my first appointment, but Heather's professional and friendly demeanor put me at ease. She did a great job explaining each technique she was using to help my muscles relax. Heather uses a combination of internal and external stretches and exercises to relax the pelvic floor and build muscle strength. Her specially developed home program helped me quickly recover from an issue that seemed insurmountable before meeting Heather. She was optimistic about my progress and incredibly encouraging. Less than 6 months after my first session, I was able to have pain-free sex for the first time in my life! If you are suffering from vaginismus or any other pelvic floor issues, I highly recommend making an appointment with Heather and reading her book!

-- Amanda W., 2/15/16 via Yelp!

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